Question NW2223 to the President of the Republic
17 July 2023 - NW2223
Macpherson, Mr DW to ask the President of the Republic
(1) With reference to his speech during Africa Day celebrations on 25 May 2023, wherein he stated that some countries, including the Republic, are being threatened with penalties for pursuing an independent foreign policy for adopting a position of non-alignment, (a) which countries have threatened the Republic with penalties, (b) on what date did the threat take place, (c) how and (d) what is the nature of the specified penalties; (2) (a) which other African countries were also threatened with penalties, (b) on what date and (c) how; (3) whether he has made the threats that were made by other countries known to Cabinet; if not, why not; if so, on what date?
Reply:
The pressure that has been placed on South Africa and other African countries to adopt a particular position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict takes different forms.
Some of these are direct in nature, such as the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, which was introduced in the United States Congress in March 2022. Pressure is also applied through other means, some of which are informal, unofficial and indirect.
It is in the nature of the conduct of international relations that these matters be attended to through diplomatic engagement.